Fargo Will Return For Season 2

Will Fargo be back for Season 2? According to FX, you betcha! FX announced today that they're moving forward with a second season of the anthology series. Just as American Horror Story does each season, Fargo's second season will feature a new story, a new time period and new characters. And with that, Season 2 will be an opportunity for a new slate of actors.

FX announced the renewal today, noting that series creator Noah Hawley is on board to return for the new limited series, which will consist of 10 episodes. FX was clear in stating that Fargo's second season will feature "an all-new cast of characters, a new time period and a new 'true crime' story." FX notes how well Fargo made out with the Emmy nominations earlier this month. Season 1, which submitted for contention in the TV Movie/Miniseries category, earned itself 18 Emmy nominations.

The first season of Fargo was a followup to the Coen brother's celebrated dark comedy. Set in 2006, the single-season series starred Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard, a timid insurance salesman whose life is thrown into chaos when his patch cross with the sinister Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton). Rounding out the excellent cast were Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Goldberg, Oliver Platt, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Joey King and Keith Carradine.

The flexibility with and for the cast is one of the reasons anthology series are such a brilliant trend for television. Feature film actors who might not want to commit to a long-term role can sign on for a season of Fargo (or True Detective or American Horror Story) without having to commit to the role beyond a season. And on the other side, a show like Fargo can secure talent like Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Keith Carradine and the like, where they might not have been able to had they been looking for someone with indefinite availability.

From a story standpoint, there are obviously big benefits to an anthology format, as the writers can tell a complete story over the course of the season and not have to worry about how to stretch it out beyond that. For Season 1 of Fargo, the emphasis was on a string of crimes, which were being investigated by Allison Tolman's Deputy Molly Solverson. Tolman earned herself a much deserved Emmy nomination, and though it sounds like FX is aiming for a new cast with Season 2, it would be great if Tolman were to come back to play a new character. Whether or not that's even an option may depend on whether or not this new story is linked in some way to the first season, similarly to how the first season included at least one notable connection to the 1996 film.

Whether or not any of the original cast finds their way back to the second season remains to be seen. In the meantime, it's well worth celebrating the dark series' planned return.